Post a good thing that happened in your life today

[Betty LaRue]

12 hours ago, Michael Ventura said:

 

Yes, it is correct that the Caribbean islands rarely get above 90 (32c) and there is usually a nice breeze blowing.  But, I almost never went there to holiday, so I was running around taking photos and so I carried a towel in my camera bag to keep mopping my face from the sweat. Not looking for sympathy, mind you, it was a nice place to work in my twenties and thirties!

And yes, those tiny biting bugs on the islands were no fun either!! I once took my family to the Abaco Islands for a working/fun trip and there they had these large horse flies that had a nasty bite.

Ah, yes. Horseflies. You definitely knew when you’d been bitten by one of those. I never encountered one in the Caribbean, but we had horses at one time and, of course, horseflies love horses! 😁 And all biting things love me. Growing up, my sister always tried to stay in close proximity to me. If anything biting, especially mosquitoes, were around, they flocked to me and left her alone. Choices.
My legs especially, during the summer, were always covered with mosquito bites. They made welts as big as nickels on my skin. Many times I was hard pressed to put a finger on my leg without hitting one. There were no repellents in our house. But we did have a product called Real Kill which my mother kept to kill flies if they got in from us kids going in and out of the door. Not supposed to be used on people, but mom sprayed us down with that sometimes. I’m sure I was poisoned! 😂 it was the popular insect killer of those times. Gone now, probably eventually banned.

 

[Michael Ventura]

16 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

Ah, yes. Horseflies. You definitely knew when you’d been bitten by one of those. I never encountered one in the Caribbean, but we had horses at one time and, of course, horseflies love horses! 😁 And all biting things love me. Growing up, my sister always tried to stay in close proximity to me. If anything biting, especially mosquitoes, were around, they flocked to me and left her alone. Choices.
My legs especially, during the summer, were always covered with mosquito bites. They made welts as big as nickels on my skin. Many times I was hard pressed to put a finger on my leg without hitting one. There were no repellents in our house. But we did have a product called Real Kill which my mother kept to kill flies if they got in from us kids going in and out of the door. Not supposed to be used on people, but mom sprayed us down with that sometimes. I’m sure I was poisoned! 😂 it was the popular insect killer of those times. Gone now, probably eventually banned.

 

I just remembered that they called them “doctor flies” there but just looked it up and learned that this local term for the yellow horse fly.  Oh my! Your mom sprayed Real Kill on you and your sibs!  I can’t imagine that was a recommended use!

[Betty LaRue]

10 hours ago, Michael Ventura said:

I just remembered that they called them “doctor flies” there but just looked it up and learned that this local term for the yellow horse fly.  Oh my! Your mom sprayed Real Kill on you and your sibs!  I can’t imagine that was a recommended use!

No, it wasn’t a recommended use. During those times, my mother raised us by the seat of her pants and knew nothing of medicine, much. What was safe, what wasn’t.  Later in life, when not raising 3 girls, holding down a job at a glass factory to feed us and dealing with an alcoholic, (my dad) until she divorced him, she self-educated herself and could hold her own with anyone. She read extensively, and if she came upon a word she didn’t know, she immediately looked it up in the dictionary right down to pronunciation.
She was very intelligent as a young mother, but uneducated for awhile. And too busy to learn much. Poor people had to use what was on hand, even if it killed them.
You would have adored her, Michael. 5’2”, learned carpentry by wading in,  being a perfectionist, and made a hall linen closet from wood after the tornado greatly damaged our house. It had 2 doors and three deep drawers, dovetailed and smooth sliding. She’d never in her life picked up a hammer before that other than to hang pictures.

She designed our clothes, cut out patterns made from newspaper and sewed for us, kept our hair washed and curled, starched and ironed our dresses. We were properly turned out except occasionally there was hard times buying new shoes when the one pair we had wore out. But the Real Kill, and the melted Vicks vapor rub I swallowed because we couldn’t afford cough syrup or doctors wasn’t healthy. She was only in her early to mid 20s.  A young, young mother. She shuddered years later when she learned more. You would have though she was college educated. A wonderful cook and pie-maker deluxe. She was a fan of the old Jimmy Rodgers songs and could belt out “Mule Skinner Blues” and others in a beautiful, old-timey voice.  I miss her.

[spacecadet]

I think twin grandsons on Tuesday is a Good Thing.

[Bryan]

19 hours ago, spacecadet said:

I think twin grandsons on Tuesday is a Good Thing.

 

Congratulations, enjoy !

Edited July 18, 2022 by Bryan

[Ed Rooney]

 

Brand new little humans! What could be better?😃

[Mr Standfast]

23 hours ago, spacecadet said:

I think twin grandsons on Tuesday is a Good Thing.

 

👍👍!!

[CAROL SAUNDERS]

23 hours ago, spacecadet said:

I think twin grandsons on Tuesday is a Good Thing.

Congratulations to you and your family😁

 

Carol

[Bryan]

Not sure if this is a Good or Bad thing, but it's mighty sunny in these parts with the thermometer in the car reaching 33 degC this afternoon, and hotter predicted tomorrow.  I've known it warmer (over 40)  in continental Europe, but 33 deg C in NE England is certainly very unusual.  Coolth returning on Wednesday, although torrential rain is what the gardens need.

 

The sun should help ripen the tomatoes !  

[Ed Rooney]

 

It hit 37 C here on the west coast today. I'm comfortable and to me this is warm not hot. God save the Spanish and Italians. My pal in Tuscany is melting. 

[Michael Ventura]

6 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

It hit 37 C here on the west coast today. I'm comfortable and to me this is warm not hot. God save the Spanish and Italians. My pal in Tuscany is melting. 

 

My daughter is in Tuscany right now, taking a three week holiday before starting her travel nursing job.  She called me today and told me how hot it is.  Fortunately the AirBnB she is renting does have AC in her bedroom.  We are pretty used to hot and humid summers, here in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. but nearly every indoor space is air conditioned.  Today, I had a couple of shoots but the first one was in an un airconditioned warehouse.  It was in the morning, so it wasn't too bad, just drank a lot of cool water.

[Allan Bell]

When I heard how hot it was going to be in this area on Monday and even hotter today possibly topping 40 celsius I went out and bought a mobile air conditioner. Used it yesterday to good effect and will use it today as it gets hotter.

 

Even if it is not used any more this year it will be available for future years. We are being told it will become hotter for longer in years to come.

 

Allan

 

[CAROL SAUNDERS]

54 minutes ago, Allan Bell said:

When I heard how hot it was going to be in this area on Monday and even hotter today possibly topping 40 celsius I went out and bought a mobile air conditioner. Used it yesterday to good effect and will use it today as it gets hotter.

 

Even if it is not used any more this year it will be available for future years. We are being told it will become hotter for longer in years to come.

 

Allan

 

Good for you Allan I'm sure you won't regret it.  We've had ours for many years, it's quite big and lives upstairs in the bedroom and keeps the whole of the upstairs cool.  Many of my neighbours have also invested in one this week.   I feel hotter here the last few days than when I was in Cambodia a few years ago and that's saying something😁

 

Carol

[CAROL SAUNDERS]

My first water lily has flowered in my pond.  I planted the pond with all manner of aquatic plants back in March.  Didn't know what I was doing, still don't and didn't expect anything to grow - wrong!  I was told not to expect my water lily to flower in the first year so highly delighted that I have one lovely flower. 😄  It stars to close up about 4pm then opens again in the morning, nature is so clever.

 

Carol

[Bryan]

I did a spell in the allotment this morning before it got to be too hot, then retired to the house where the temperature is a good deal lower than that outside.  Need to venture out to water the plants shortly, but delaying until things cool down a tad.   Comfortably lower temperatures predicted for tomorrow. 

 

I've warped out our reflective silvered windscreen cover for the car, never used it in these parts before, but needs must.

 

Just seen some photos of a fire that has broken out near London, appeared to have started in open country but spread to houses, hopefully the fire brigade can control it.

[sb photos]

9 minutes ago, Bryan said:

I did a spell in the allotment this morning before it got to be too hot, then retired to the house where the temperature is a good deal lower than that outside.  Need to venture out to water the plants shortly, but delaying until things cool down a tad.   Comfortably lower temperatures predicted for tomorrow. 

 

I've warped out our reflective silvered windscreen cover for the car, never used it in these parts before, but needs must.

 

Just seen some photos of a fire that has broken out near London, appeared to have started in open country but spread to houses, hopefully the fire brigade can control it.

 

We have had multiple fires reported locally by Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue. The East London fire looked bad. 

[Bryan]

2 hours ago, sb photos said:

 

We have had multiple fires reported locally by Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue. The East London fire looked bad. 

Just seen a news update, some people have lost their houses to the flames, but, fortunately no reports of injuries or fatalities. 

[Rebecca Ore]

Saw a male Canivet's Emerald Hummingbird working the Euphobia geroldi bush.  All green with a forked tail, and smaller than other local hummingbirds.  Took ID photos of the male and female at my first house, but don't have either photo in my portfolio.  I have been hearing it but only catching brief glimpses of it once before watching it opening and closing the scissor tail while reaching into the flowers for nectar, very fast and briefly.  The female has different coloration, but the males are vivid green.

[Ed Rooney]

22 hours ago, Allan Bell said:

 I went out and bought a mobile air conditioner. Used it yesterday to good effect and will use it today as it gets hotter.

 

 

Good idea, Allan. The news just told me the hottest spot in the UK yesterday was Lincolnshire. 

 

Edited July 20, 2022 by Ed Rooney

[spacecadet]

2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

the hottest spot in the UK yesterday was Lincolnshire. 

Not a word that's ever been on the tip of my tongue for that county.

[gvallee]

.

 

Edited July 21, 2022 by gvallee

[Allan Bell]

On 19/07/2022 at 11:16, CAROL SAUNDERS said:

Good for you Allan I'm sure you won't regret it.  We've had ours for many years, it's quite big and lives upstairs in the bedroom and keeps the whole of the upstairs cool.  Many of my neighbours have also invested in one this week.   I feel hotter here the last few days than when I was in Cambodia a few years ago and that's saying something😁

 

Carol

 

Thanks Carol,

Mine is in the lounge/diner at the moment with doors open to other rooms and vented out the window. If it becomes hotter or for longer next year I will get another for the bedroom.

 

Allan

[Allan Bell]

On 20/07/2022 at 10:07, spacecadet said:

Not a word that's ever been on the tip of my tongue for that county.

 

Ah but I believe you are or were a Boston boy. Huh?😃

 

Allan

 

[Betty LaRue]

I have deliciously sweet cantaloupe in the frig, and just sliced up and sugared a bunch of strawberries. Strawberry shortcake is one of my favorite deserts and I’ll have that this evening.

I also froze a few of my ripe tomatoes, and some of my cherry tomatoes. I can roast the latter, and make soups and other things from the big ones.

Edited July 21, 2022 by Betty LaRue

[gvallee]

Life is so sweet at the moment. Still caring for 3 rescue wallaby joeys and a dog. When I get to the wallabies' enclosure with their milk bottles  in the morning, it's a rush, a fury of claws 'pick me up, pick me up, me, me, me!!'. They love cuddles and lick my face.

In the evening, after walking the dog around the fire break where anything can suddenly appear, like a bird of prey taking off literally from under our feet this morning, we have a cool glass of white wine on the deck facing the Bush, watching and listening to red-tailed black cockatoes crunching nuts on treetops opposite, a fiery red sunset glowing over the Savannah.

Then follows a bit of TV (us!) watching an excellent fiction (but close enough) series on Pine Gap in the Australian Outback, one of the 3 American satellite surveillance bases in the world. We did see the domes of the base when we trekked on top on Mt Gillen outside Alice Springs but I had no idea what was really going on in there. Just mind boggling. Wow! The worst top secret.

Enjoying every minute, as we never know what the future will bring.